Today in History - Aug. 24

Published 9:00 pm, Thursday, August 22, 2002

Today is Saturday, Aug. 24, the 236th day of 2002. There are 129 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Aug. 24, 1932, Amelia Earhart became the first woman to fly non-stop across the United States, traveling from Los Angeles to Newark, N.J., in just over 19 hours.

On this date:

In A.D. 79, long-dormant Mount Vesuvius erupted, burying the Roman cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum in volcanic ash. An estimated 20,000 people died.

In A.D. 410, Rome was overrun by the Visigoths, an event that symbolized the fall of the Western Roman Empire.

In 1572, the slaughter of French Protestants at the hands of Catholics began in Paris.

In 1814, British forces invaded Washington, D.C., setting fire to the Capitol and the White House.

In 1949, the North Atlantic Treaty went into effect.

In 1954, the Communist Control Act took effect, practically outlawing the Communist Party in the United States.

In 1968, France became the world's fifth thermonuclear power as it exploded a hydrogen bomb in the South Pacific.

In 1981, Mark David Chapman was sentenced in New York to 20 years to life in prison for killing rock star John Lennon.

In 1982, Archbishop Joseph L. Bernardin was installed as head of Chicago's Roman Catholic archdiocese.

In 1989, Baseball Commissioner A. Bartlett Giamatti banned Pete Rose from the game for gambling.

Ten years ago: Hurricane Andrew smashed into Florida, causing record damage; 55 deaths in Florida, Louisiana and the Bahamas were blamed on the storm. China and South Korea established diplomatic ties.

Five years ago: Pope John Paul II offered tough challenges and affectionate encouragement to more than 1 million faithful attending Mass during closing World Youth Day ceremonies in Paris.

One year ago: President Bush blamed the slumping economy for the shrinking budget surplus, rather than his tax cut, and said it was up to Congress to restrain spending. Tom Green, a Mormon fundamentalist with five wives and 30 children, was sentenced by a court in Provo, Utah, to five years in prison in the state's biggest polygamy case in nearly half a century. Actress Jane Greer died at age 76.

Thought for Today: "Of the 20 or so civilizations known to modern Western historians, all except our own appear to be dead or moribund, and, when we diagnose each case … we invariably find that the cause of death has been either War or Class or some combination of the two." _ Arnold J. Toynbee, English historian (1889-1975).